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East Michigan vegetable regional report – August 31, 2016

Harvest is slowing down for some crops and starting for others.

Crops

Storage onions in Imlay City, Michigan, are starting to move. Digging started two weeks ago, and harvest has been ongoing.

Cauliflower is in various stages of tying and harvest. Quality has been best where wrapper leaves are free of tip burn. The latest plantings are 10 inches tall.

Cabbages are being cut and boxed across the region. Quality has been good. Swede midge catch spiked on some traps over the last two weeks, but I have not seen much damage. Earlier in the year, trap catches were low, but damage was easy to spot.

Peppers in areas of heavy rainfall have been succumbing to various fruit rots. Eggplants and peppers in east Michigan have been diagnosed with broad mites that caused twisted leaves and fruit scarring.

Tomatoes are starting to die-off, and last pickings have had more soft rots and anthracnose after the rains.

Fresh market potatoes are harvestable in many regions, and they continue to be dug on demand.

Melon and watermelon harvestcontinues. Sprite melons are an interesting variety I see sold around Lapeer, Michigan.

Pickling cucumbers are scheduled to finish up harvest by Sept. 16, but most will be finishing about a week before then.

Special events

Sept. 8,In-row Cultivation Workshop. MSU Extension specialist Dan Brainard is hosting an in-row cultivation workshop in Milan, Michigan, at Zilke Farms. Contact Dan at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Vicki Morrone at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for details.

Dec. 6-8,Great Lakes EXPO. Reserve your hotel early for the Great Lakes EXPO in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Registration is not open yet, but hotels often fill up before then. Anyone can access educational session summaries from the Great Lakes EXPO at the website. View the session summaries.

August 8, 2016 | Phil Tocco | Washing fruits and vegetables properly in a dunk tank or hydrocooler can help extend shelf life and improve food safety. Improper washing increases the risk of a small food safety problem becoming a big one.